What Angeline Saw
by mountain ash
Summary: This takes place at the end of TTP. Angeline has a foggy memory due to Opal controlling her body. She doesn't remember anything she saw while she was "sick." Angeline makes some discoveries. HSxAF at end.


**This takes place at the end of TTP. Angeline has a foggy memory due to Opal controlling her body. She doesn't remember anything she saw while she was "sick." HSxAF at end.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, or Angeline, Butler, Artemis Fowl Senior, Holly, the twins, Fowl Manor, Artemis's school–it all belongs to Eoin Colfer.**

_**What Angeline Saw**_

By Mountain ash

It was a bright June day, and Angeline Fowl felt wonderful. That was a staggering improvement over yesterday. She had been very sick in the past day of so. The doctors had said that all of her organs were failing. She had looked like she might not live. Her condition had been crucial-which was why is was so unexpected when she suddenly recovered. Everyone had been so surprised-she had gone from her deathbed to the picture of health so fast; the doctor called it a miracle. Well, almost everyone had been surprised. Her eldest son, Artemis Fowl the Second, had been faking his surprise. She was sure of it. The shock on his face was just too perfect, and it didn't quite register in his bright blue eyes like it did in his little brothers'. But he couldn't have had anything to do with her sudden recovery-and if he'd had nothing to do with it, he couldn't know about it, and should have been surprised.

Angeline shook her head. She was being silly. Artemis had been surprised at her recovery-he just hadn't shown it as dramatically as the twins and her husband. She frowned. Come to think of it, she didn't remember her illness or the couple-minute recovery that well.

The doctor, baffled by her miracle recovery, had suggested she spend the day in bed. Angeline, at first, had been glad of the chance to rest. The arrival of the twins had gotten on her feet, looking after them, getting to be close to them, and her feet definitely were feeling it. But after awhile, she got bored. Right now, she felt that if she didn't do something right now, her mind would wither up and die from boredom. She looked around the room, searching desperately for a distraction.

She spotted her computer sitting on the desk not far from her bed. She quickly leapt out of bed, grabbed it, and then raced back to bed and under the covers. If her husband saw her out of bed, he would put her back in bed after fussing over her delicate condition since her illness, then lock the door to keep her in her room. Her illness had scared him deeply-he had listened with rapt attention to the doctor's instructions, and was now following them to the letter.

Angeline rested her head against her pillow, deciding what to do with her newfound weapon against boredom. Right then, a small beeping alerted her that she had a message from Artemis's school. Curious, she opened up the message.

_Dear Angeline,_

_I am sorry to report that your son, Artemis, received detention again last Friday. His History teacher asked him for his opinion on the crusades, he replied that the crusaders were either fools doing what a manipulative pope told them to do, or marauders seeking wealth-also fools- they would probably die in their search for monetary gain. At least, that was the gist of it-his actual response included may words I have never heard before, and lasted for a solid minute. He was interrupted by a rude remark from a bored classmate. Artemis responded by voicing his opinions to the boy about his intelligence and his poor grammar. The poor boy was quickly reduced to tears. Artemis continued to state this poor boy's low grades as evidence to the boy's stupidity. How he was able to hack into the online grade book and find these rather embarrassing grades I don't know, but it was very inconsiderate of the boy's privacy. The teacher then broke up the fight, and asked Artemis to sit down. Upon complying, Artemis then proceeded to use that infernal cell phone of his (Which should have been in his locker, if in the school at all!) to broadcast these grades to the rest of the school's staff, inquiring as to why they put up with this low a level of intelligence in the best school Ireland had to offer. Artemis was given detention on the grounds of breaking our electronic devices policy and for bullying a fellow student.. I don't want it to happen again, but I know it will. Artemis doesn't care if he hurts the feelings of others, as long as he can get them to stop speaking to him. I would suggest counseling from a psychologist, but the last seven times we tried that we got negative results each time, and a psychologist retired each time.. I would like you to speak to him. Maybe he will listen to you._

_Sincerely, _

_Principle James_

Angeline was horrified-especially by the part of the letter "Artemis has received detention again." Had this kind of thing happened before? She looked at her messages, looking for other notices from the principle. There were many more. A grand total of two hundred forty-eight of them-exactly one for every day Artemis had been in school. There were absence notices, followed by confused but apologetic emails about how the office hadn't received Artemis's note from the doctor explaining his checkups. Angeline frowned. Artemis hadn't been to the doctor on any of these dates.

There were swarms of detention notices- one for almost every day. Artemis's teachers were apparently beginning to wonder if he liked the detentions. There were complaints from the student counselor regarding Artemis's lack of respect for anyone. There were notices from the principle about those student counselors going into early retirement due to Artemis's antics. There were angry emails from parents whose children had been insulted by Artemis.

As Angeline scrolled through the messages, her eyes grew wider and wider. The absence notices grew more frequent. Apparently, Artemis hadn't been in school at all for the past month. She would have to confront Artemis about this. She'd have to be careful about it though-Artemis would probably try to avoid promising anything.

It was as dark as a panther at night in Angeline's room-Artemis Senior had turned out the lights so she could sleep. The only light came from the computer screen, which glowed like a cat's eye. Angeline looked at the curtains framing her window. It was a nice view-it overlooked the garden. She got out of bed and opened the curtains to let in the pretty light. She also opened the window itself a bit to allow the scent of flowers to drift up from the hollyhocks she had had planted under her window. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, and heaved a small sigh.

Then she opened her eyes.

And nearly fainted.

Artemis Fowl the Second- antisocial beyond reason, didn't like to be outside and away from his precious computers for more than a second, never cracking a real smile, distant, distracted Artemis Fowl the Second, was sitting on a bench under the willow tree, talking animatedly the way a normal teenager would when with a best friend. Only, Artemis wasn't conversing with a human- the _girl_ next to him was only about three feet tall, and had pointy ears.

Artemis didn't have any girlfriends. In fact, he expressed his disgust at the whole concept openly.

Angeline studied the girl on the bench next to her son. It must be a young girl, the same age of the twins (she was only three feet tall for heaven's sake!) but she had the proportions of a full-grown woman. She had pretty, but sadly crew cut hair. It would have been so pretty if it were longer. WAIT! WAS THAT A GUN ON HER BELT? Angeline almost bolted right then and there to find and alert Butler.

Almost.

Right then Butler walked up behind Artemis and that girl, a familiar smile on his face, no look of horror at the rather obvious gun. He didn't even get between the girl with the gun and Artemis. Angeline's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Butler, Artemis, and that girl exchanged a few words. Butler seemed as familiar with the girl as Artemis was! But when Angeline put her ear to the opening in the window to hear the conversation, all she heard was gibberish.

Butler left after barely a minute, but the crew-cut, pointy-eared girl did not. Instead, she and Artemis exchanged more gibberish.

Then, the impossible happened.

Artemis laughed.

Angeline hadn't heard Artemis laugh, really laugh, in years. Who was this girl that Artemis was obviously fond of? Why had Angeline never been introduced to her?

Then, Artemis leaned in a kissed her. Angeline nearly a heart attack. The girl was kissing him back. The gap of space between them was rapidly deteriorating.

Angeline fainted.

When she awoke seconds later, she heard footsteps approaching her room. Artemis was no longer on the bench, and the girl was no where to be seen. Artemis was probably the one approaching her room right now.

Angeline, after considering what she witnessed, decided not to get on Artemis's case about his school problems. The absences, she thought, must have something to do with what she had witnessed. What if there were more of those short, pointy-eared people like the girl. Whatever Artemis was involved in, it was obviously good for him. Angeline smiled.

He had finally found a friend.


End file.
